In the first quarter of 2024, almost two-thirds percent of the total wealth in the United States was owned by the top 10 percent of earners. In comparison, the lowest 50 percent of earners only owned 2.5 percent of the total wealth. Income inequality in the U.S. Despite the idea that the United States is a country where hard work and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps will inevitably lead to success, this is often not the case. In 2023, 7.4 percent of U.S. households had an annual income under 15,000 U.S. dollars. With such a small percentage of people in the United States owning such a vast majority of the country’s wealth, the gap between the rich and poor in America remains stark. The top one percent The United States follows closely behind China as the country with the most billionaires in the world. Elon Musk alone held around 219 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. Over the past 50 years, the CEO-to-worker compensation ratio has exploded, causing the gap between rich and poor to grow, with some economists theorizing that this gap is the largest it has been since right before the Great Depression.

Graph and download economic data for Share of Net Worth Held by the Top 1% (99th to 100th Wealth Percentiles) (WFRBST01134) from Q3 1989 to Q4 2024 about net worth, wealth, percentile, Net, and USA.

In the third quarter of 2024, the top ten percent of earners in the United States held over 67 percent of total wealth. This is fairly consistent with the second quarter of 2024. Comparatively, the wealth of the bottom 50 percent of earners has been slowly increasing since the start of the 2010s, though remains low. Wealth distribution in the United States by generation can be found here.

In the first quarter of 2024, 51.8 percent of the total wealth in the United States was owned by members of the baby boomer generation. In comparison, millennials own around 9.4 percent of total wealth in the U.S. In terms of population distribution, there is almost an equal share of millennials and baby boomers in the United States.

In 2023, roughly 1.49 billion adults worldwide had a net worth of less than 10,000 U.S. dollars. By comparison, 58 million adults had a net worth of more than one million U.S. dollars in the same year. Wealth distribution The distribution of wealth is an indicator of economic inequality. The United Nations says that wealth includes the sum of natural, human, and physical assets. Wealth is not synonymous with income, however, because having a large income can be depleted if one has significant expenses. In 2023, nearly 1,700 billionaires had a total wealth between one to two billion U.S. dollars. Wealth worldwide China had the highest number of billionaires in 2023, with the United States following behind. That same year, New York had the most billionaires worldwide.

In the third quarter of 2024, 51.6 percent of the total wealth in the United States was owned by members of the baby boomer generation. In comparison, millennials owned around ten percent of total wealth in the U.S. In terms of population distribution, there is almost an equal share of millennials and baby boomers in the United States.

Graph and download economic data for Households; Net Worth, Level (BOGZ1FL192090005A) from 1987 to 2024 about net worth, Net, households, and USA.

In 2021, about 7.89 million individuals in North America had financial assets worth at least one million U.S. dollars. This equaled to a combined worth of about 27.67 trillion U.S. dollars, an increase from 24.32 trillion U.S. dollars in 2020.

Billionaires with a net worth over 50 billion U.S. dollars had a combined net worth of nearly two trillion dollars in 2023. Billionaires with a fortune of two to five billion U.S. dollars had the highest combined total wealth, nearly reaching three trillion U.S. dollars. That year, there were 18 persons with a fortune of over 50 billion dollars.

Graph and download economic data for All Sectors; U.S. Wealth, Level (BOGZ1FL892090005Q) from Q4 1945 to Q4 2024 about wealth, sector, and USA.

As of November 2022, a combined value of 4.48 trillion U.S. dollars was held by billionaires living in the United States. While U.S. billionaire wealth has seen a drop over the last year, it is still more than 1.5 times the amount it was at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The total financial assets of households and nonprofit organizations in the United States grew steadily since 2000, except for a drop in 2018. The value of household financial assets increased from around 34.46 trillion U.S. dollars in 2000, up to around 118.34 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023.

Graph and download economic data for Share of Net Worth Held by the 50th to 90th Wealth Percentiles (WFRBSN40188) from Q3 1989 to Q4 2024 about net worth, wealth, percentile, Net, and USA.

United States - Households and Nonprofit Organizations; Net Worth, Level was 169360.79300 Bil. of $ in October of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Households and Nonprofit Organizations; Net Worth, Level reached a record high of 169360.79300 in October of 2024 and a record low of 806.61600 in October of 1945. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Households and Nonprofit Organizations; Net Worth, Level - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

In 2019, ultra high net worth individuals in North America had a total wealth of almost 12.5 trillion U.S. dollars. With a total wealth of over 10.4 trillion U.S dollars, the second wealthiest individuals resided in Asia.

Data from the Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report shows that in 2023 there were just under 30 million millionaires in the US.

United States - Balance Sheet: Total Assets was 24098064.92900 Mil. of U.S. $ in October of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Balance Sheet: Total Assets reached a record high of 24209950.69000 in July of 2024 and a record low of 23886927.38000 in April of 2024. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Balance Sheet: Total Assets - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on May of 2025.

The massive wealth inequality in the world is underpinned by this chart: While just above one percent of the world's population had fortunes of more than one million U.S. dollars in 2022, more than half of the global population had a total wealth of less than 10,000 U.S. dollars.

United States - Total Assets Held by the Top 1% (99th to 100th Wealth Percentiles) was 50340013.00000 Mil. of $ in October of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Total Assets Held by the Top 1% (99th to 100th Wealth Percentiles) reached a record high of 50340013.00000 in October of 2024 and a record low of 5003662.00000 in July of 1989. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Total Assets Held by the Top 1% (99th to 100th Wealth Percentiles) - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on May of 2025.

United States - Share of Total Assets Held by the 90th to 99th Wealth Percentiles was 34.60000 % of Aggregate in October of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Share of Total Assets Held by the 90th to 99th Wealth Percentiles reached a record high of 36.20000 in July of 2019 and a record low of 30.50000 in July of 1995. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Share of Total Assets Held by the 90th to 99th Wealth Percentiles - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on May of 2025.